Ice tray



c i2. cARNEY I 2,403,846

ICE TRAY 1 F led 001;. 5;, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 INVENTOR m, (Liam Z A TT MEI sf.

July 9-, 1946. c. CARNEY 2,403,845

ICE TRAY Filed Oct. 31, 1938 4 sheets-sheet 2 11v VENTOR 8. E f'aryqgr.

July 9, 1946. c. R. CARNEY f 2,403,346

101': TRAY I Filed 091. 31, 19 58 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 6?; INVENTOR (kl-7e;

BY Q We 1 July 9, 194 6. I Q CARNEY 2,403,846

' IC'EIRAY Filed Oct. 31. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4' I INIVENTOR (22/7 0227 E (aryzg Q ATTOR 5Y5- Patented July 9, 1946 ICE TRAYS Clifiord R. Carney, Miami, Fla., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1938, Serial no. 237,834

This invention relates to an ice tray of the type provided with a removable grid, and more particularly to a grid for such trays which is easily and quickly removable from the tray and which is provided'with separate manually actuated mechanical means for releasing the ice cubes from the grid and the tray.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an ice tray grid which is so constructed as to permit the mechanical removal not only of the grid from the tray but also of the ice 4 Claims. (Cl. 62108.5)

an operating member or lever constituting another. important part of the present invention.

cubes from the grid by a continuous application of power to the grid.

'Another object of the invention is to provide an ice tray grid which is so constructed as to effect the progressive release of either all or a portion of the ice cubes contained therein without first partially melting said cubes.

A iurther object of the invention is to provide an icetray grid from which the ice cubes may be removed selectively in multiples of two, either successively or as separate pairs as 'des'ired. v

A still furtherobject ofthelinventi on is to provide an ice tray grid which may be removed from the tray'bya wrench or lever and from which the ice cubes maybe released by a relative movement of the separate elements of the grid and'in which aportion of the grid is used as a 'fulcrum for the application of power fby the wrench or lever torelease the cubes from the grid. Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims,

reference being-had to the accompanying draw: ings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views, andin which:'

' I Fig; 8 is a longitudinal section similar to Fig. 3, "but showing the operatingmember of Fig. 7 ap= plied over the grid in the position it assumes priorto the application of power to free the grid 7 and frozen ice cubes from the tray.

Fig-9 is a longitudinal section of one end of the tray andgrid, showing the position taken by the operating member after power has been applied to loosen the grid .from the tray. Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 9, but showing the position taken by the operating member'and by thecross partitions of the grid after power has been applied to release the icecubes contained therein.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 10, but showing the method of using the operating member to release the first two ice cubes only. Fig; 12 is a view in perspective of another form of operating member or lever adapted to be used in the present invention.

Fig. 13 is: a, transverse section taken substantially on the line l3l3 of Fig; 12, looking in the direction of the arrows. a i Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section of one, end of v the tray and grid, showing the lever of Fig. 12

applied thereover. r r Fig. 15 is a view in perspective'of an'ice cu after its removal from the tray.

Fig. 16 is a View in perspective of st111 nother form of an-operating member or lever'suitable for Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of ,an' ice tray and grid constituting a, preferred embodiment of, an important part of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the tray and grid shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsection'taken substan-. tially onthe line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a viewin perspective of the various parts of the grid shown in separated relationship. Fig. 6 is a sectional View slmilarto Fig. 4. but showing the position taken by the cross partitions of the grid with relation to the longitudinal partition when the grid is removed from the tray.

' tially on the line 2l-2l of- Fig. 20, lookingin use in the present invention. r 7

Fig. 17 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line l1--l'| of Fig. 16, looking in the direction of the'arrows. 4 i I i Fig. 18 is: alongitudinal section of oneend of the trayand. gridshowing the operating leverv of FigJ-l'G appliedthereover. I

I., ;,Fig.,19 isa view in perspective of. still another form of a suitable operating member or-lever. v

Fig. ,20. isa longitudinal section of a slightly modified tray and grid showing the operating lever of Fig. 19 applied thereto. 1--

- Fig. 21 is a-transverse section taken substanthe direction of the arrows.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetailsof construction and arrangement of parts illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also Fi 7 is a view in perspective of one form of it is to be understood that the phraseology-or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 11, 30 represents an ice tray of the usual size and shape, and 3| represents the grid member, which is constructed to providea plurality of compartments for forming ice into cubes or any other desired shape within the tray 3!). The grid 3| comprises a longitudinal partition 32 and a plurality of transverse partitions 33. Each transverse partition 33 is provided with a vertical slot 34 which extends from approximately the central portion of the partition down almost but not quite to its lower edge, while the longitudinal partition 32 is cut out at spaced points along its upper edge to provide a series of wide slots or cut-out areas 35 extending from the upper edge of the partition approximately to its mid-point to provide slots which permit the transverse partitions to be moved from their normal rearward tilting position in said slots to a substantially vertical position. The longitudinal partition-32 is also provided withlugs 36, which extend upwardly beyond the upper edges of the cross partitions 33, and with longitudinally spaced slots 31 opening in its lower edge and adapted to receive the strips or lugs 38 adjacent the lower edge of each transverse partition 33. The lugs 38 are formed by providing a slit in the cross partitions 33 immediately below one edge of the slot 34 and extending from the bottom of slot 34 to the bottom edge of the partition. Thus a strip of metal is provided beneath slot 34, which when bent permits assembling the transverse partitions on the longitudinal partition 32, and which after assembly may be bent back to retain the partitions in their assembled relationship.

The longitudinal partition 32 is provided at the front or operating end of the grid with an upwardly extending projection 39 having an outwardly extending nose 40 thereon,'the forward and lower edges of which constitute a fulcrum for the removable operating member or lever 4| (see Figs. '7 to 11); Although various forms of levers may be utilized in operating the grid of the present invention, a folding lever of the type shown in "Figs. 7 to 11 has been found to be satisfactory for the stated purpose. This lever preferably comprises a handle member 42 and a pair of nested or nestable dragging or gripping members 43 and 44, each of which is provided at one end with a pair of prongs 45 and 46, respectively, adapted to be pivotally connected to each other and to the prongs 4! on the handle member 42, and with one or a series of longitudinally spaced slots 4111 which are adapted to receive one or more of the lugs 33 on the partition'32.- The prongs 41 are joined at a point spaced from their pivotal connection with the prongs; 45 and 46 by means 0138. cam 48, which is adapted to contact thenose 43 on projection 39 and is offset from the pivotal connection of the handle member 42, which causes a constantly increasing forward movement of the gripping members 43 and 44 as the handle is raised or rotated about the prongs 45 and 46.

In operation, the gripping members 43 and 44 are applied over the'lugs 35 and the projection 39 on the longitudinal partition 32 in the manner shown'in Figs. 8 to 10. The tray 33 may be held on any suitable support, and. the handle 42 is moved upwardly until the cam 48' strikes the lower edge of the nose 40 as previously described. Upo

first contacting the nose 40 the force applied tends to loosen the grid 3! and its contained ice as a unit from the tray, as shown in Fig. 9. The upward force applied through the handle 42 and grid structure operates to exert a downward force on the end of the tray remote from the cam 48 to assist in holding the tray on the supporting surface. The effect of further raising of the handle 42 is shown in Fig. 10. Thus the gripping members 43 and 44 of the lever 4| are moved further forward, and during this movement the downwardly extending projections or teeth 49 formed by the notches 50 in the side walls or flanges 5! and 52 of the gripping members contact the upper edges of the cross partitions 33 adjacent thereto and tend to tilt them forwardly away from their normal rearwardly tilting position, at the same time causing a release of the ice cubes situated forwardly thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the teeth 49 are spaced progressively farther apart in direct proportion to their distance from the forward end of the lever, as this causes them to progressively contact the various cross partitions 33, beginning with the most forwardly situated one, thereby successively loosening or releasing the pairs of ice cubes situated immediately forward thereof. It should be understood, however, that the teeth 49 may be spaced an even distance apart, although such an arrangement is usually not so desirable in view of the fact that far greater force is required on the handle 42 in order to simultaneously release the entire content of ice cubes in the tray than where the action is a progressive releasing of successive pairs of ice cubes as above described.

In the operation of th lever 4| in the above manner, it is seen that the first cross partition is tilted forward by theteeth 49 on the gripping member 44, while the remaining cross partitions are tilted by the teeth 49 on the gripping member 43. When it is desired to remove only the first pair of ice cubes, the lever 4| may b applied as shown in Fig. 11. Thus the gripping member 43 is folded over in alignment with the handle 42, and the gripping member 44 is applied over the forward endof the grid with its teeth 49 in position to grab the upper edge of the most forwardly situated cross partition 33, as, the member 44 is forced forwardly in the manner described above. The tray may then be returned to the refrigerator, and either all or a'portion of. the remaining cubes of ice may be removed at any time by applying the gripping member 43 over the grid and lifting the handle in the manner shown.

When using the lever 4| in the manner described above, it is sometimes necessary to hold the rearward end of the gripping ,portion43 to prevent it from springing upwardly as a result of the downward force applied at its pivoted end. Any suitable means may be provided to accomplish this, such as a slotted lug (not shown) on the rear end of the longitudinal partition 32, which may be positioned to extend upwardly through the rearmost slot 53 on the gripping member 43 and over the end strip 54 thereon. In the drawings, however, no means is shown, as it is usually satisfactory to press down manually on the rear end of the gripping member, when necessary.

An operating lever similar in. many respects to the one shown in Fig. 7 is shown in Figs, 12 to 14. This lever differs however, from the lever of Fig. "7 in the provision of a multiplicity of nested or nestable gripping member's equal in number to the number "of cross partitions 33in the grid and each of differentplength; Thus, anyone orallof the six gripping members- 55;;56,551,158, and.

60 provided in this instancesmay; be applied over the grid to remove any'pairor. series of pairsofice cubes inthe manner shown. in Figil i, each gripping memberjbeing provided-with one or more slots 41a for the 'same' purpose-as the slots 41a in the lever of Fig. 7. As the various'gripping members each have. a, different number of teeth 49, varying in accordance iwith'their-length,'it

is 'seen that any desirednumber'of cross .p'arti her as the teeth 49 on the previouslydescribed embodiments of the invention. 'Thegripping 1 member" is also provided at its forward end adjacentthe handle member with a pair. of collars l2 and 13, the collar 12. being providedwith a lobe 14 which extends beyond the periphery of the cylindrical collar 13. The collar I3 and the collar 15' on the. rear end of. the gripping m'emstance comprises a handle member BI and a gripe ping member 62, which consists of a pair 'of spaced parallel side walls 63 and 64, ,whichia're integrally connected at one end and are each provided with a longitudinalslot 65 extending substantiallyfrom end to end. The side walls 63 and 64 are spaced sufficiently far apart to receivethe spaced prongs 66 on the handle 6| which are each provided with a pivot pin 61 adapted to slidably fit in the slots 65. The space between the side walls 83 and 64 is also adapted to receive the lugs 36 on partition 32, thereby facilitating the correct placement of the lever on the grid. As: in the other embodiments of this invention, the grippingmember is provided with teeth 49 on the lower edges of the side walls 63 and 64, which cooperate with the cam 48 on handle 6| in the same manner as described above to tilt the cross partitions 33 forwardly away from their normal rearwardly inclined position.

In utilizing the lever of Fig. 16 in accordance with the present invention, the gripping member 62 maybe adjustably applied over the upper surface of the grid 3| in the manner shown in Fig. 18, notches 68 being provided in the lower edges ,ber constitute top members or guides which facilitate correct positionin'gofthe gripping member- V V In applying the lever, the end portion; of the gripping member 10 is inserted in a suitable upwardly extending apertured bearing 11 in the rear wall 18 of the tray 30, and the lobate collar 12 is inserted under the sidewardly extending lug- 19 on the'upwardly extending projection 80 on the forward end of the longitudinal partition 32 with its lobe portion 14 initially'extending sidewardly. After being applied in the manner stated it is seen that airotation'of the, handle 69' andthe "gripping member 10 through 90. will turn the lobe 14 to an'upwardly extending position beneath the sidewardly extending lug l9 where the force thus exerted tends to lift the forthe cams H are also rotated and tend to pro- I gressively contact the upper edges of the cross partitions 33 thereby tilting them successively forward and loosening the cubes of ice attached thereto.

To further facilitate the loosening of the grid and the removal of the ice cubes, particularly the first pair removed, the tray 30 may be provided with a sloping forward wall 8|, although it of the slots 65 to permit retaining the'pin 61 p and the handle 6| in the desired position adjacent the projection 39 and nose 40 on the longitudinal partition 32 regardless of the number of cross partitions it is desired to tilt or loosen. Thus,

when the lever is correctly positioned over the desired number of cross partitions in the grid, the

cam 48 will contact th nose 40 upon raising the 1 handle BI and thereafter serves as a pivotal point about which a forwardly directed force is transmitted to the cross partitions as shown in Fig. 18. With this construction it is therefore possible; as in the previous instances, to remove all of the ice cubes, either simultaneously or progressively, or

i to remove separate pairs from time to time as desired.

A still further embodiment of the invention is shown inFigs. 19 to 21, in which instance the tray and grid are slightly modified in order to provide retaining means for the operating member, which is also somewhat modified in con struction. The. operating member comprises a handle member 69 which is Ifixedly mounted on one end of the gripping member l0 and extends should be understood that the efiective operation of the grid is not dependent on a tray of this nature and trays of ordinary shape .or construc-- tion may readily be used.

It should be observed that this invention is not restricted to a progressive flow of power through the grid or a progressive movement of the cross partitions. Thus the invention described herein may be readily modified in the manner previously suggested to provide an embodiment thereof which is capable of readily dispensing the entire contents of the tray at one and the same time with a single application of power by actuation of the wrench or lever.

- In the description herein and in'the appended claims reference has been repeatedly made to a forward Or rearward position or movement of the various parts of the tray. By forward is meant that portion of the tray or grid which is provided with the fulcrum or projection against which force is applied to release the ice cubes from the grid. The rearward portion of the grid or tray is the opposite end. 3

I claim:

1. In a freezing tray, in combination: a container pan, a grid within said pan for dividing the frozen contents into ice blocks and comprising a-longitudinal wall, a plurality of cross walls mounted thereon and movable longitudinally relative thereto, and operating means for moving said cross walls relative to said longitudinal I of different starting positions prior to starting the ice-ejecting movement thereof so as to move only some of said cross walls upon subsequent 7 movement thereof, and force-multiplying means for moving said actuator bar.

2. In a freezing tray, in combination: a'container pan, a grid within said pan for dividing the frozen contents into ice blocks and'comprising alongitudinal wall, a plurality of cross walls mounted thereon and movable longitudinally relative thereto, and operating means for moving said cross walls relative to said longitudinal wall to loosen the ice block frorn 'said grid, said operating means comprising a longitudinally slidable actuator bararranged to be set in any selected one of a plurality of difierent starting positions prior to starting the-ioe-ejection movement therefor so as to move only the selected cross walls upon subsequent movement of said actuator bar, and force-multiplying means for sliding said actuator bar longitudinally from any, selected starting position. Y

3. In a freezing tray, in combination: a con-' tainer pan, a grid within said pan for dividing the frozen contents into ice blocks and comprising a longitudinal wall, a plurality of cros walls mounted thereon and movable longitudinally relative thereto, and operating means for moving said cross walls relative to said longitudinal wall to loosen the ice blocks from said grid, said operating. means comprising a slidable actuator bar arranged to beset in any selected one of a plurality of different startingpositionsalong the length of the grids'o as'to be capable of engaging and moving only' some of said cross walls upon being subsequently moved longitudinally ofthe grid,' and force-multiplying means for slidingsaid actuator bar from any selected starting position thereof.

4. In a freezing tray, in combination: a container pan, 2, grid'within said pan for dividing the frozen contents-into ice blocks and comprising alongitudinal wall; a plurality of cross walls mounted thereon and movable longitudinally relative thereto, and operating means for moving said cross Walls relatiVeZto said longitudinal wal1 to'loo'sen the ice blocks from said grid, said operating means being capable of being selectively positioned in any selected one of a plurality ofv different starting positions along the length of said'grid so 'as'to be capable of moving only one or more selected cross walls, when operated from each of said starting positions, said operating means, having a hand lever reacting upon said longitudinal wall when operated from any of said starting, positions.

CLIFFORD R. CARNEY. 

